Thursday, 16th November 2023
Across our members, non-members, pay-as-you-go-ers, and those who pop along for a casual swim or fitness class, we love to get to know what brings you to see us and how you’re using fitness to better yourselves and others.
Check out the stories of some of our inspiring members we have had the pleasure of getting to know recently…
Jamila has been a regular at our Seedhill Athletics Centre for 4 years. In 2013, she suffered from a stroke and heart attack and as a result, found herself frustrated about the fact that she had put weight on and had little motivation to stay active. She expressed that she “was getting mentally disabled also” from her physical disability.
Her niece suggested that she should come to our Seedhill athletics track to get herself moving again. She agreed and came along where it initially took her 25 minutes to go around the track once in her wheelchair. She found it hard work, her hands became sore, and she couldn’t see how it would get easier. But her niece didn’t give up and brought Jamila down to Seedhill every day at 4pm. After 4 weeks, Jamila found that it had become easier, she felt less cramps, less chest pains and more motivation to keep going. She then started to come along on her own every day no matter rain or shine!
4 years later, Jamila accomplishes an impressive 14 laps around the track in one hour, showcasing her incredible journey of resilience. She urges anyone in a similar situation to just try and give it a go, it might change your life.
Meet Maisie, a passionate advocate for sports and fitness who, despite being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a young age, has not let it hinder her love for running and dancing. She was diagnosed at 11 years old and so was forced to adapt what was already a busy sport-filled life. She tells us that her diabetes would “get in the way sometimes”.
Type 1 Diabetes is a chronic condition that results in your body not being able to produce insulin naturally. For most people, this means injecting insulin each time they eat a meal, as well as at other times of the day. Many people don’t know that this is much different to Type 2 diabetes as Type 1 cannot be caused by the individual and is often the result of a virus or hereditary factors. One of the largest concerns for a type 1 diabetic is the potential of hypoglycaemia (or Hypo as you will hear Type 1’s say). This is caused when blood sugars drop below a healthy level and must be brought back up by consuming glucose or sugar. These hypos can be the most disrupting element of a type 1 diabetic's life and can have fatal consequences if not treated.
Maisie has not let her diagnosis stop her from doing the things she loves, as she explained to us in a short gap between a dancing class at Sandersons Dance and a running session at Seedhill Athletics Centre – this girl never stops!
Maisie and her mum Louise have made it their aim to raise as much awareness for Type 1 diabetes as possible and showcase that life can carry on as a new normal if you work at it! Maisie’s advice to any newly diagnosed out there is “Stay strong, it’ll get easier”. Her determination and positive spirit serve as an inspiration to us all.
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Andrew and 2 of his friends who regularly attend fitness sessions in the XR2 with our Fitness Manager Luke, decided to take on the Chad 1000x challenge. The challenge consists of 1000 step-ups while wearing a 20kg weighted vest. The 3 of them kept up the pace of 10 steps per minute, taking them 1 hour 40 mins in total and they completed it at Pendle Leisure Centre.
The Chad 1000x challenge was constructed in honour of Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson who took his life in 2018 due to the effects of numerous deployments, several TBIs, blast wave injuries and PTSD.
The 3 of them set themselves this challenge to raise awareness for mental health in men due to having direct experience with losing loved ones to suicide. They have also raised a total of £120 so far for Andy’s Man Club which has hubs across the UK and offers free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the UK.
Their main goal in doing this is to encourage men to talk about their feelings and to move away from the idea that it is a weakness.
At Pendle Leisure Trust we’re proud to be part of these journeys and salute you all for making a difference and inspiring others to do the same!